How to Overcome Writer’s Block?

It can happen to anyone - a freshman coping with another essay, a graduate struggling over a cover letter, and even a book writer. And here's how you solve it.

Best Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block

Whether writing is something you do every day or an occasional activity, there's always a chance of facing with such a problem as writer's block. What is it? It's when you don't feel like writing anything but you just have to write. Your mind may know that you need to generate some ideas and you may sincerely want to do it, but your head is still empty. Does this sound so familiar? That's exactly what we call writer's block. It may seem as a serious problem, but it actually can be solved quite easily.

Check out these suggestions on how to bring your wandering mind back into the flow:

•Deal with the fact that you're experiencing writer's block

They say the shortest way to solve the problem begins with acceptance. So, yes, you have no ideas for writing - deal with it. Now realize that you can actually turn everything into a challenge that will make you stronger and better in all ways after you succeed. Start with figuring out where you're stuck at and what is it that blocks your inspiration.

•Summon your inspiration

No, it's not like summoning demons or other creatures. You don't need to dance around the room with a dead cat in your hand (although you can if you want to). A good way to evoke your imagination and get inspired is to write at least anything. Just take a blank piece of paper or open a new Word document and start writing whatever comes to your mind. It can be random words, your thoughts on how you hate your writer's block or anything else that you can think of. That's a great exercise to awaken your inner writer.

•Get away from everything

Once you feel that your creative mind starts to work, it's time to put yourself in the right mood. Make sure the space around you has no triggers like your phone, TV, talking roommates, social networks, and things like that (if you've used the dead cat before, throw it away now because the smell can be disturbing too). By the way, if there's some music that inspires you, turn it on, but make sure the sound is not disturbing either.

•Find useful information and examples

There's so much information on the Web about different types of writing; there are so many useful tips on how to write consistently; there are billions of books, articles, and other published material on all possible topics. You can find literally anything to get yourself prepared for the task you have. If you need to write a college essay or any other academic paper, it's a good idea to turn to writing services like 10pagepapers.com and get a sample paper written by a professional writer. We all know that having an example in front of you makes the work much easier.

In case something is still wrong and you don't feel the rush of blood to your brain, try to do the following:

•Put yourself in a creative mood

Obviously, you need to get your creative half of the brain involved in the process. You can do that by simply relaxing. Take your phone and make some photos, paint, play a musical instrument - whatever you can to get creative.

•Do some physical activities

You may think: "what? why? I need my mind working, not my body!" Calm down. Physical exercises get you moving, and when you're moving, your blood flow gets faster. When the blood flow gets faster, your brain turns on. Simple as ABC. It's not that you have to go out jogging or play some game outside - doing a short workout or even just dancing to your favourite tunes could be enough.

•Take a walk

If it still doesn't work, maybe you just need some fresh air. Go outside and take a walk in some tranquil area where you can enjoy a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Breathe in and breathe out quietly in order to saturate your blood with oxygen, which is very good for your brain. By the way, such a change of surroundings may turn out to be a trigger for your creative mind too.

A Few Extra Tips

If you are working on a large writing project or if you are in a constant search of ideas for writing, it's a good idea to have a notepad beside you all the time. You can carry it around in your pocket or bag so that you wouldn't miss an interesting thought whenever it comes.

Read many books. The more you read, the better writer you become - that's a golden rule of writing. You don't need to read something on the same topic you are currently working now - you can just read anything you like. This will help you make your vocabulary richer, give you some new ideas, and teach you how to express your thoughts. Also, you may find your inspiration in reading inspirational quotes. Although this doesn't work for everyone, this can work for you.

Another tip that may help you, especially if your writer's block doesn't seem to end for days, is to get into a habit of daily writing. You can start a diary or a blog without having any serious purposes and just share your thoughts or daily routine there.

What you should remember once and for all is that you overcome writer's block by writing and you will never deal with it if you run from your problems. Some people facing writer's block refuse writing anything at all and just sit and wait until the muse comes. That's a wrong approach, which will do you no good. You will simply waste your time waiting for inspiration. The truth is that you can create the inspiration yourself following the aforementioned tips. So, that's what you should do now.

Finally, writer's block is not a mental health problem and it's not forever. It's a temporary state that all writer's, even the professional ones, sometimes find themselves in. Just be positive and believe that you can handle it. Your way of thinking matters too.